Houthis Race to Own Property in Sanaa

FILE PHOTO: A view of the old quarter of Sanaa, Yemen November 14, 2018. REUTERS/Mohamed al-Sayaghi/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A view of the old quarter of Sanaa, Yemen November 14, 2018. REUTERS/Mohamed al-Sayaghi/File Photo
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Houthis Race to Own Property in Sanaa

FILE PHOTO: A view of the old quarter of Sanaa, Yemen November 14, 2018. REUTERS/Mohamed al-Sayaghi/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A view of the old quarter of Sanaa, Yemen November 14, 2018. REUTERS/Mohamed al-Sayaghi/File Photo

Houthi leaders and commanders in Yemen’s Sanaa have expanded their purchases of a variety of real-estate in the war-torn country’s capital, local sources informed Asharq Al-Awsat.

The purchases are suspected of being a part of a larger money laundering and settlement scheme mounted by the militias.

A new class of leaders and commanders affiliated with the Houthi group have been spearheading a systematic settlement movement, taking advantage of the Houthi control over Sanaa and the group’s plundering of state and private sector funds, well-informed sources told Asharq Al-Awsat.

Real-estate agents in Sanaa revealed that Houthi leaders are suspiciously racing to acquire ownership over the largest amounts of villas and land plots whether in the north or south of the capital.

According to agents, Houthis are paying above asking prices to lure landlords into selling.

Sources pointed out that the Houthi group is focusing its real-estate purchases on property located on the outskirts of the capital, especially on the southern, eastern and western fronts. They are also making purchases in the capital’s center.

A Houthi leader, according to a source speaking under the conditions of anonymity, had recently bought a residence in Sanaa for 600 million Yemeni rials (around $1 million). The Houthi commander then demolished the house and began construction on a new building with specific characteristics.

The source, familiar with the commander, said that before the coup, he was too poor to afford gas, but is now one of Sanaa’s richest figures.

Yemeni diplomat Abdel-Wahhab Tawaf has slammed militia leaders and commanders of plundering the money of Yemenis and channeling the stolen funds into buying property to serve the group’s sectarian agenda.

Tawaf exposed one of the Houthi leaders for buying a land plot in Sanaa for $10 million.



52 Palestinians Including Children Killed in Israeli Airstrikes in Gaza

Palestinians inspect the destruction at a makeshift displacement camp following a reported incursion a day earlier by Israeli tanks in the area in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza strip on July 11, 2025. (Photo by AFP)
Palestinians inspect the destruction at a makeshift displacement camp following a reported incursion a day earlier by Israeli tanks in the area in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza strip on July 11, 2025. (Photo by AFP)
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52 Palestinians Including Children Killed in Israeli Airstrikes in Gaza

Palestinians inspect the destruction at a makeshift displacement camp following a reported incursion a day earlier by Israeli tanks in the area in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza strip on July 11, 2025. (Photo by AFP)
Palestinians inspect the destruction at a makeshift displacement camp following a reported incursion a day earlier by Israeli tanks in the area in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza strip on July 11, 2025. (Photo by AFP)

Israeli airstrikes killed at least 28 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, including four children, hospital officials said Saturday. Also, 24 others were fatally shot on their way to aid distribution sites.

The children and two women were among at least 13 people who were killed in Deir al-Balah, in central Gaza, after Israeli airstrikes pounded the area starting late Friday, officials in Al-Aqsa Martyr's Hospital said. Another four people were killed in strikes near a fuel station, and 15 others died in Israeli airstrikes in Khan Younis, in southern Gaza, according to Nasser Hospital.

The Israeli military said in a statement that over the past 48 hours, troops struck approximately 250 targets in the Gaza Strip, including militants, booby-trapped structures, weapons storage facilities, anti-tank missile launch posts, sniper posts, tunnels and additional Hamas infrastructure sites. The military did not immediately respond to The Associated Press' request for comment on the civilian deaths.

The Hamas-led group killed some 1,200 people in their Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel and abducted 251. They still hold 50 hostages, less than half of them believed to be alive, after most of the rest were released in ceasefire agreements or other deals.

Israel’s offensive has killed over 57,000 Palestinians, more than half of them women and children, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. The ministry, which is under Gaza’s Hamas-run government, doesn’t differentiate between civilians and combatants in its count. The UN and other international organizations see its figures as the most reliable statistics on war casualties.

US President Donald Trump has said that he is closing in on another ceasefire agreement that would see more hostages released and potentially wind down the war. But after two days of talks this week with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu there were no signs of a breakthrough.